Filter using a transmission line as a delay line

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for a configurable finite impulse response (FIR) filter using a transmission line as a delay line are disclosed and may include selectively coupling one or more taps of a multi-tap transmission line to configure delays for one or more finite impulse response (FIR) filters to enable transmission and/or reception of signals. The delays may be configured based on a location of the one or more selectively coupled taps on the multi-tap transmission line. The FIR filters, which may include one or more stages, may be impedance matched to the selectively coupled taps. The multi-tap transmission line may be integrated on the chip, or a package to which the chip is coupled. The multi-tap transmission line may include a microstrip structure or a coplanar waveguide structure, and may include ferromagnetic material. The distortion of signals in the chip may be compensated utilizing the FIR filters.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/397,096 filed Mar. 3,2009.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application makes reference to:

-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/367,892 filed on Feb. 9, 2009;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/396,935 filed on even date    herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/396,964 filed on even date    herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/397,005 filed on even date    herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/397,024 filed on even date    herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/397,040 filed on even date    herewith; and-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/397,060 filed on even date    herewith.

Each of the above stated applications is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[Not Applicable]

MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE

[Not Applicable]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to wireless communication.More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to amethod and system for a configurable finite impulse response (FIR)filter using a transmission line as a delay line.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mobile communications have changed the way people communicate and mobilephones have been transformed from a luxury item to an essential part ofevery day life. The use of mobile phones is today dictated by socialsituations, rather than hampered by location or technology. While voiceconnections fulfill the basic need to communicate, and mobile voiceconnections continue to filter even further into the fabric of every daylife, the mobile Internet is the next step in the mobile communicationrevolution. The mobile Internet is poised to become a common source ofeveryday information, and easy, versatile mobile access to this datawill be taken for granted.

As the number of electronic devices enabled for wireline and/or mobilecommunications continues to increase, significant efforts exist withregard to making such devices more power efficient. For example, a largepercentage of communications devices are mobile wireless devices andthus often operate on battery power. Additionally, transmit and/orreceive circuitry within such mobile wireless devices often account fora significant portion of the power consumed within these devices.Moreover, in some conventional communication systems, transmittersand/or receivers are often power inefficient in comparison to otherblocks of the portable communication devices. Accordingly, thesetransmitters and/or receivers have a significant impact on battery lifefor these mobile wireless devices.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth inthe remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and/or method for a configurable finite impulse response (FIR)filter using a transmission line as a delay line, substantially as shownin and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, asset forth more completely in the claims.

Various advantages, aspects and novel features of the present invention,as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be morefully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless system, which may beutilized in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary finite impulseresponse (FIR) filter, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 3A is a diagram of an exemplary multi-port transmission line on achip, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a top view of an exemplary multi-taptransmission line on a chip, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a cross sectional view of a multi-layerpackage with an integrated transmission line, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary steps for controllingthe filtering of signals, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain aspects of the invention may be found in a method and system fora configurable finite impulse response (FIR) filter using a transmissionline as a delay line. Exemplary aspects of the invention may compriseselectively coupling one or more taps of a multi-tap transmission lineto configure delays for one or more finite impulse response (FIR)filters to enable transmission of signals by the one or more of theplurality of transmitters and/or receiving of signals by said one ormore of the plurality of receivers. The delays may be configured basedon a location of the one or more selectively coupled taps on themulti-tap transmission line. The FIR filters may be impedance matched tothe selectively coupled taps. The FIR filters may comprise one or morestages. The multi-tap transmission line may be integrated on the chip,or a package to which the chip is coupled. The multi-tap transmissionline may comprise a microstrip structure or a coplanar waveguidestructure, and may comprise ferromagnetic material. The distortion ofsignals in the chip may be compensated utilizing the FIR filters.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless system, which may beutilized in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring toFIG. 1, the wireless device 150 may comprise an antenna 151, atransceiver 152, a baseband processor 154, a processor 156, a systemmemory 158, a logic block 160, a chip 162, a multi-tap transmission line(T-Line) 164, a finite impulse response (FIR) filter 165, an externalheadset port 166, and a package 167. The wireless device 150 may alsocomprise an analog microphone 168, integrated hands-free (IHF) stereospeakers 170, a hearing aid compatible (HAC) coil 174, a dual digitalmicrophone 176, a vibration transducer 178, a keypad and/or touchscreen180, and a display 182.

The transceiver 152 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces,and/or code that may be enabled to modulate and upconvert basebandsignals to RF signals for transmission by one or more antennas, whichmay be represented generically by the antenna 151. The transceiver 152may also be enabled to downconvert and demodulate received RF signals tobaseband signals. The RF signals may be received by one or moreantennas, which may be represented generically by the antenna 151.Different wireless systems may use different antennas for transmissionand reception. The transceiver 152 may be enabled to execute otherfunctions, for example, filtering the baseband and/or RF signals, and/oramplifying the baseband and/or RF signals. Although a single transceiver152 is shown, the invention is not so limited. Accordingly, thetransceiver 152 may be implemented as a separate transmitter and aseparate receiver. In addition, there may be a plurality oftransceivers, transmitters and/or receivers. In this regard, theplurality of transceivers, transmitters and/or receivers may enable thewireless device 150 to handle a plurality of wireless protocols and/orstandards including cellular, WLAN and PAN. Wireless technologieshandled by the wireless device 150 may comprise GSM, CDMA, CDMA2000,WCDMA, GMS, GPRS, EDGE, WIMAX, WLAN, LTE, 3GPP, UMTS, BLUETOOTH, andZIGBEE, for example.

The baseband processor 154 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces, and/or code that may be enabled to process baseband signalsfor transmission via the transceiver 152 and/or the baseband signalsreceived from the transceiver 152. The processor 156 may be any suitableprocessor or controller such as a CPU, DSP, ARM, or any type ofintegrated circuit processor. The processor 156 may comprise suitablelogic, circuitry, and/or code that may be enabled to control theoperations of the transceiver 152 and/or the baseband processor 154. Forexample, the processor 156 may be utilized to update and/or modifyprogrammable parameters and/or values in a plurality of components,devices, and/or processing elements in the transceiver 152 and/or thebaseband processor 154. At least a portion of the programmableparameters may be stored in the system memory 158.

Control and/or data information, which may comprise the programmableparameters, may be transferred from other portions of the wirelessdevice 150, not shown in FIG. 1, to the processor 156. Similarly, theprocessor 156 may be enabled to transfer control and/or datainformation, which may include the programmable parameters, to otherportions of the wireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, which may bepart of the wireless device 150.

The processor 156 may utilize the received control and/or datainformation, which may comprise the programmable parameters, todetermine an operating mode of the transceiver 152. For example, theprocessor 156 may be utilized to select a specific frequency for a localoscillator, a specific gain for a variable gain amplifier, configure thelocal oscillator and/or configure the variable gain amplifier foroperation in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.Moreover, the specific frequency selected and/or parameters needed tocalculate the specific frequency, and/or the specific gain value and/orthe parameters, which may be utilized to calculate the specific gain,may be stored in the system memory 158 via the processor 156, forexample. The information stored in system memory 158 may be transferredto the transceiver 152 from the system memory 158 via the processor 156.

The system memory 158 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces, and/or code that may be enabled to store a plurality ofcontrol and/or data information, including parameters needed tocalculate frequencies and/or gain, and/or the frequency value and/orgain value. The system memory 158 may store at least a portion of theprogrammable parameters that may be manipulated by the processor 156.

The logic block 160 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces,and/or code that may enable controlling of various functionalities ofthe wireless device 150. For example, the logic block 160 may compriseone or more state machines that may generate signals to control thetransceiver 152 and/or the baseband processor 154. The logic block 160may also comprise registers that may hold data for controlling, forexample, the transceiver 152 and/or the baseband processor 154. Thelogic block 160 may also generate and/or store status information thatmay be read by, for example, the processor 156. Amplifier gains and/orfiltering characteristics, for example, may be controlled by the logicblock 160.

The BT radio/processor 163 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interfaces, and/or code that may enable transmission and reception ofBluetooth signals. The BT radio/processor 163 may enable processingand/or handling of BT baseband signals. In this regard, the BTradio/processor 163 may process or handle BT signals received and/or BTsignals transmitted via a wireless communication medium. The BTradio/processor 163 may also provide control and/or feedback informationto/from the baseband processor 154 and/or the processor 156, based oninformation from the processed BT signals. The BT radio/processor 163may communicate information and/or data from the processed BT signals tothe processor 156 and/or to the system memory 158. Moreover, the BTradio/processor 163 may receive information from the processor 156and/or the system memory 158, which may be processed and transmitted viathe wireless communication medium a Bluetooth headset, for example

The CODEC 172 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, interfaces, and/orcode that may process audio signals received from and/or communicated toinput/output devices. The input devices may be within or communicativelycoupled to the wireless device 150, and may comprise the analogmicrophone 168, the stereo speakers 170, the hearing aid compatible(HAC) coil 174, the dual digital microphone 176, and the vibrationtransducer 178, for example. The CODEC 172 may be operable to up-convertand/or down-convert signal frequencies to desired frequencies forprocessing and/or transmission via an output device. The CODEC 172 mayenable utilizing a plurality of digital audio inputs, such as 16 or18-bit inputs, for example. The CODEC 172 may also enable utilizing aplurality of data sampling rate inputs. For example, the CODEC 172 mayaccept digital audio signals at sampling rates such as 8 kHz, 11.025kHz, 12 kHz, 16 kHz, 22.05 kHz, 24 kHz, 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, and/or 48 kHz.The CODEC 172 may also support mixing of a plurality of audio sources.For example, the CODEC 172 may support audio sources such as generalaudio, polyphonic ringer, I²S FM audio, vibration driving signals, andvoice. In this regard, the general audio and polyphonic ringer sourcesmay support the plurality of sampling rates that the audio CODEC 172 isenabled to accept, while the voice source may support a portion of theplurality of sampling rates, such as 8 kHz and 16 kHz, for example.

The CODEC 172 may utilize a programmable infinite impulse response (IIR)filter and/or a programmable finite impulse response (FIR) filter for atleast a portion of the audio sources to compensate for passbandamplitude and phase fluctuation for different output devices. In thisregard, filter coefficients may be configured or programmed dynamicallybased on current operations. Moreover, the filter coefficients may beswitched in one-shot or may be switched sequentially, for example. TheCODEC 172 may also utilize a modulator, such as a Delta-Sigma (Δ-Σ)modulator, for example, to code digital output signals for analogprocessing.

The chip 162 may comprise an integrated circuit with multiple functionalblocks integrated within, such as the transceiver 152, the processor156, the baseband processor 154, the BT radio/processor 163, the FIRfilters 165, the CODEC 172, and the multi-tap T-Line 164. The number offunctional blocks integrated in the chip 162 is not limited to thenumber shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, any number of blocks may beintegrated on the chip 162 depending on chip space and wireless device150 requirements, for example.

The multi-tap T-Line 164 may comprise conductive material deposited onand/or in the chip 162, and may also comprise a plurality of taps toenable configurable delays. In this manner, one or more FIR filters mayutilize the multi-tap T-Line 164 as delay blocks. In an embodiment ofthe invention, the conductive material for the multi-tap T-Line 164 maycomprise metal and/or ferromagnetic material, for example.

The FIR filters 165 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, interfaces,and/or code that may be operable to compensate for the frequencyresponse of a received signal processed by another component in thewireless device 150. For example, the FIR filters 165 may be utilized tocompensate for distortion in the audio signal from output devices suchas the stereo speakers 170 the external headset 166.

The external headset port 166 may comprise a physical connection for anexternal headset to be communicatively coupled to the wireless device150. The analog microphone 168 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,and/or code that may detect sound waves and convert them to electricalsignals via a piezoelectric effect, for example. The electrical signalsgenerated by the analog microphone 168 may comprise analog signals thatmay require analog to digital conversion before processing.

The package 167 may comprise a printed circuit board or other supportstructure for the chip 162 and other components of the wireless device150. The package 167 may comprise an insulating material, for example,and may provide isolation between electrical components mounted on thepackage 167.

The stereo speakers 170 may comprise a pair of speakers that may beoperable to generate audio signals from electrical signals received fromthe CODEC 172. The HAC coil 174 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,and/or code that may enable communication between the wireless device150 and a T-coil in a hearing aid, for example. In this manner,electrical audio signals may be communicated to a user that utilizes ahearing aid, without the need for generating sound signals via aspeaker, such as the stereo speakers 170, and converting the generatedsound signals back to electrical signals in a hearing aid, andsubsequently back into amplified sound signals in the user's ear, forexample.

The dual digital microphone 176 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,and/or code that may be operable to detect sound waves and convert themto electrical signals. The electrical signals generated by the dualdigital microphone 176 may comprise digital signals, and thus may notrequire analog to digital conversion prior to digital processing in theCODEC 172. The dual digital microphone 176 may enable beamformingcapabilities, for example.

The vibration transducer 178 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,and/or code that may enable notification of an incoming call, alertsand/or message to the wireless device 150 without the use of sound. Thevibration transducer may generate vibrations that may be in synch with,for example, audio signals such as speech or music.

In operation, control and/or data information, which may comprise theprogrammable parameters, may be transferred from other portions of thewireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, to the processor 156.Similarly, the processor 156 may be enabled to transfer control and/ordata information, which may include the programmable parameters, toother portions of the wireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, whichmay be part of the wireless device 150.

The processor 156 may utilize the received control and/or datainformation, which may comprise the programmable parameters, todetermine an operating mode of the transceiver 152. For example, theprocessor 156 may be utilized to select a specific frequency for a localoscillator, a specific gain for a variable gain amplifier, configure thelocal oscillator and/or configure the variable gain amplifier foroperation in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.Moreover, the specific frequency selected and/or parameters needed tocalculate the specific frequency, and/or the specific gain value and/orthe parameters, which may be utilized to calculate the specific gain,may be stored in the system memory 158 via the processor 156, forexample. The information stored in system memory 158 may be transferredto the transceiver 152 from the system memory 158 via the processor 156.

The CODEC 172 in the wireless device 150 may communicate with theprocessor 156 in order to transfer audio data and control signals.Control registers for the CODEC 172 may reside within the processor 156.The processor 156 may exchange audio signals and control information viathe system memory 158. The CODEC 172 may up-convert and/or down-convertthe frequencies of multiple audio sources for processing at a desiredsampling rate.

The signals processed by the processor 155 and/or the baseband processor154 may be communicated to and/or from devices that may distort thedesired signals. Accordingly, the FIR filters 165 may be utilized tocompensate for the undesired distortion. The multi-tap T-Line 164 may beutilized for delay blocks in the FIR filters 165 enabling plurality ofdelays, and thus enabling the FIR filters 165 to be configurable.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary finite impulseresponse (FIR) filter, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown an FIR filter 200 thatmay comprise delay cells 205, 209, 213, 217, 219 and 223, multipliers203, 207, 211, 215, 221 and 225, and an adder 227. The input signal 201may be communicated to the multiplier 203 and the delay cell 205. Theoutput of the delay cell 205 may be communicated to the delay cell 209and also to the multiplier 207. The output of the delay cell 209 may becommunicated to the delay cell 213 and to the multiplier 211. Thisoperation may be repeated for a plurality of stages based on the filterdesign, such as 17, 33, or 65 stages, for example. The output of eachmultiplier 203, 207, 211, 215, 221 and 225 may be communicated to theadder 227. The output signal generated by the adder 227 may comprise theoutput signal 229.

In operation, the FIR filter 200 may perform frequency responsecompensation on an input signal 201, which may be utilized to compensatefor distortion in the audio signal from output devices such as speakersor ear buds. The input signal 201 may be multiplied by coefficient c₀ atthe multiplier 203 and then communicated to the adder 227. The inputsignal 201 may also be communicated to the delay cell 205. The output ofthe delay cell 205 may be communicated to the delay cell 209 and alsomay be multiplied by coefficient c₁ at the multiplier 207 and thencommunicated to the adder 227. This scheme may be repeated up to thenumber of stages, n, which may be 17, 33 or 65 for example, such thatthe output signal 229 may be a sum of the signals from each stage, whereeach stage may comprise the output of the previous stage through a delaycell, multiplied by a coefficient. The frequency response of the FIRcompensation filter 200 may be determined by adjusting coefficients c₀,c₁, c₂, . . . c_(n-1), where n may be the number of stages in thefilter, and by utilizing different delays in the delay blocks 205, 209,213, 217, 219 and 223 that may utilize the multi-tap T-Line 164.

FIG. 3A is a diagram of an exemplary multi-port transmission line on achip, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring toFIG. 3A there is shown the multi-tap T-Line 164 on the chip 162, ICcircuitry 203, and T-Line ports 305A-305P. The T-Line ports 3051-305Pare not shown in FIG. 3A since they may be located on the side oppositeto the T-Line ports 305A-305H, but are shown in FIG. 3B. The chip 162may be as described with respect to FIG. 1. The IC circuitry 203 maycomprise devices integrated in the chip 162, such as the transceiver152, the FIR filters 155, the processor 156, and the baseband processor154, for example. The chip 162 comprising the multi-tap T-Line 164 maybe integrated with the wireless device 150.

The multi-tap T-Line 164 may comprise a microstrip and/or coplanarwaveguide transmission line, for example, integrated in and/or on thechip 162 that may comprise a plurality of ports, the T-Line ports305A-305P, such that FIR filters that may utilize delay cells, may becoupled to appropriate points along the multi-tap T-Line 164.

The T-Line ports 305A-305P may comprise electrical contacts along thelength of the multi-tap T-Line 164 that may enable coupling to theT-Line at a plurality of points. In this manner, FIR filters, such asthe FIR filters 165 and 200 described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2, maybe coupled to the multi-tap T-Line 164 where the delay at the particulartap may be matched to the desired delay for the FIR filter. The T-Lineports 305A-305P may comprise metal strips, for example, that may beelectrically coupled to the multi-tap T-Line 164.

In operation, FIR filters utilized by the transceiver 152 may be coupledto the T-Line ports 305A-305P to enable a wide range of delay times.Thus, by integrating the multi-tap T-Line 164 on the chip 162 andenabling appropriate delay cells, the compensation of distortion ofreceived signals in the wireless device 150 may be enabled, enhancingthe performance of the wireless device 150.

FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a top view of an exemplary multi-taptransmission line on a chip, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. Referring to FIG. 3B, there is shown the chip 162 comprisingthe multi-tap T-Line 164, baseband/RF circuitry 301, and an impedancematch module 310.

The baseband/RF circuitry 301 may comprise suitable, circuitry,interfaces, logic, and/or code that may be operable to process basebandand RF signals. Baseband signals may be down-converted received RFsignals, or may be generated by input devices such as microphones, forexample. The baseband/RF circuitry 301 may comprise the transceiver 152,the baseband processor 154, the processor 156, the CODEC 172, and the BTradio/processor 163, for example, described with respect to FIG. 1.Accordingly, the baseband/RF circuitry 301 may comprise the FIR filters165 and 200 described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The impedance matching module 310 may comprise suitable circuitry,logic, interfaces, and/or code that may be operable to impedance matchthe taps of the multi-tap T-Line 164 to the FIR filters 165 and 200 inthe baseband/RF circuitry 301. The impedance matching module 310 maycomprise capacitors, inductors, and/or resistors, for example. Theimpedance matching module 310 may also comprise switching capability,such as CMOS switches, for example, to couple the taps of the multi-tapT-Line 164 to different stages of the FIR filters 165 and 200. Inanother embodiment of the invention, one or more components of theimpedance matching module 310 may be located external to the chip 162.

The number of taps 305A-305P is not limited to the number shown in FIGS.3A and 3B. Accordingly, any number of ports and/or FIR filters may beutilized depending on the desired filtering characteristics, forexample.

In operation, RF signals may be processed by the baseband/RF circuitry301. The signal processing may comprise compensation of distortion indesired signals, and this compensation may be enabled by FIR filters.The FIR filters 165 and 200 may be coupled to delay cells of variableduration, and the duration may be configured by selecting appropriatetaps of the multi-tap T-Line 164. The characteristic delay at each portmay be a function of the position along the length of the multi-tapT-Line 164. In this manner, the wireless system 150 may communicatehigher quality signals due to the configurable compensation capabilityof the FIR filters 165 and 200.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a cross sectional view of a multi-layerpackage with an integrated transmission line, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown ahybrid circuit 400 comprising a package 167, the multi-tap T-Line 164,and the chip 162, which may comprise a single substrate. The package 167may comprise insulating material and the vias 410A, and 410B.Additionally, in various embodiments of the invention, the package 167may comprise one or more layers and/or areas of ferromagnetic and/orferrimagnetic material. The chip 162 may be coupled to the package 167,and the package 167 to a PCB (not shown), via solder balls 408. Asurface mount component 452 may be mounted to the package 167, andthermal epoxy 414 may be pressed between the chip 162 and the package167.

The chip 162 may be as described with respect to, for example, FIGS.1-3B. Additionally, the chip 162 may be bump-bonded or flip-chip bondedto the package 167 utilizing solder balls (e.g. solder balls 408). Inthis manner, wire bonds connecting the chip 162 to the package 167 maybe eliminated, reducing and/or eliminating uncontrollable strayinductances due to wire bonds. In addition, the thermal conductance outof the chip 162 may be greatly improved utilizing the solder balls 408and the thermal epoxy 214. The thermal epoxy 414 may be electricallyinsulating but thermally conductive to allow for thermal energy to beconducted out of the chip 162 to the much larger thermal mass of thepackage 167.

The solder balls 408 may comprise spherical balls of metal to provideelectrical, thermal and physical contact between the chip 162 and thepackage 167. In making the contact with the solder balls 408, the chip162 may be pressed with enough force to squash the metal spheressomewhat, and may be performed at an elevated temperature to providesuitable electrical resistance and physical bond strength. The solderballs 408 may also be utilized to provide electrical, thermal andphysical contact between the package 167 and a printed circuit boardcomprising other parts of, for example, the wireless device 150described with respect to, for example, FIG. 1.

The surface mount device 452 may comprise discrete circuit elements suchas resistors, capacitors, inductors, and diodes, for example. Thesurface mount device 452 may be soldered to the package 167 to provideelectrical contact. In various embodiments of the invention, additionalsurface mount elements or no surface mount elements may be coupled tothe package 167.

The metal layer 412 may enable the electrical connection to theplurality of taps on the T-Line 164, and the vias 410A and 410B, whichmay each comprise a plurality of vias, may enable electrical coupling ofthe multi-tap T-Line 164 to the chip 162.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the vias 410A and 410B maycomprise metal and/or other conductive material(s) which maycommunicatively couple the multi-tap T-Line 164 to the solder balls 408.In this manner, signals may be conveyed to and/or from the chip 162 andthe T-Line 164.

In operation, the chip 162 and associated package 167 may be utilized totransmit and/or receive RF signals. The chip 162 may be electricallycoupled to the multi-tap T-Line 164 embedded on and/or integrated withinthe package 167. In this manner, configurable delay cells may be coupledto the FIR filters 165 and 200 described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2.

In various embodiments of the invention, additional devices, forexample, capacitors, inductors, and/or resistors, may be integrated intothe package 167 without deviating from the scope of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary steps for controllingthe filtering of signals, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. Referring to FIG. 5, in step 503 after start step 501, theresponse of FIR filters 165 and 200 may be determined based ondistortion in received signals. In step 505, the delays utilized for thedetermined FIR filter response may be enabled by coupling to appropriatetaps of the multi-tap T-Line 164 via the impedance matching module 310,followed by step 507, where the distorted signals may be filtered. If,in step 509, the wireless device 150 is to be powered down, theexemplary steps may proceed to end step 511, but if not the exemplarysteps may proceed back to step 503.

In an embodiment of the invention, a method and system are disclosed forselectively coupling one or more taps of a multi-tap transmission line164 to configure delays 205, 209, 213, 217, 219, and 223 for one or morefinite impulse response (FIR) filters 165 and 200 to enable transmissionof signals by the one or more of the plurality of transmitters and/orreceiving of signals by said one or more of the plurality of receivers.The delays 205, 209, 213, 217, 219, and 223 may be configured based on alocation of the one or more selectively coupled taps 303A-303P on themulti-tap transmission line 164. The FIR filters 165 and 200 may beimpedance matched to the selectively coupled taps 303A-303P. The FIRfilters 165 and 200 may comprise one or more stages. The multi-taptransmission line 164 may be integrated on the chip 162, or a package167 to which the chip 162 is coupled. The multi-tap transmission line164 may comprise a microstrip structure or a coplanar waveguidestructure, and may comprise ferromagnetic material. The distortion ofsignals in the chip 162 may be compensated utilizing the FIR filters 165and 200.

Another embodiment of the invention may provide a machine and/orcomputer readable storage and/or medium, having stored thereon, amachine code and/or a computer program having at least one code sectionexecutable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machineand/or computer to perform the steps as described herein for aconfigurable finite impulse response (FIR) filter using a transmissionline as a delay line.

Accordingly, aspects of the invention may be realized in hardware,software, firmware or a combination thereof. The invention may berealized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system or ina distributed fashion where different elements are spread across severalinterconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or otherapparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein issuited. A typical combination of hardware, software and firmware may bea general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, whenbeing loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that itcarries out the methods described herein.

One embodiment of the present invention may be implemented as a boardlevel product, as a single chip, application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), or with varying levels integrated on a single chip with otherportions of the system as separate components. The degree of integrationof the system will primarily be determined by speed and costconsiderations. Because of the sophisticated nature of modernprocessors, it is possible to utilize a commercially availableprocessor, which may be implemented external to an ASIC implementationof the present system. Alternatively, if the processor is available asan ASIC core or logic block, then the commercially available processormay be implemented as part of an ASIC device with various functionsimplemented as firmware.

The present invention may also be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext may mean, for example, any expression, in any language, code ornotation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having aninformation processing capability to perform a particular functioneither directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversionto another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a differentmaterial form. However, other meanings of computer program within theunderstanding of those skilled in the art are also contemplated by thepresent invention.

While the invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited tothe particular embodiments disclosed, but that the present inventionwill include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An integrated circuit for enabling communications, said integrated circuit comprising: at least one filter and a transmitter, wherein said integrated circuit is operable to selectively couple at least one tap of a multi-tap transmission line to configure delays for said at least one filter to enable transmission of signals by said transmitter.
 2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein said at least one filter is a finite impulse response (FIR) filter.
 3. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein said integrated circuit is operable to configure said delays based on a location of said at least one tap of said multi-tap transmission line.
 4. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein said integrated circuit is operable to impedance match said at least one filter to said at least one tap of said multi-tap transmission line.
 5. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein said multi-tap transmission line is a part of said integrated circuit.
 6. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein said multi-tap transmission line is integrated on a package to which said integrated circuit is bonded.
 7. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein said multi-tap transmission line comprises a microstrip.
 8. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein said multi-tap transmission line comprises a coplanar waveguide.
 9. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein said multi-tap transmission line comprises ferromagnetic material.
 10. An integrated circuit for enabling communications, said integrated circuit comprising: at least one filter and a receiver, wherein said integrated circuit is operable to selectively couple at least one tap of a multi-tap transmission line to configure delays for said at least one filter to enable receiving of signals by said receiver.
 11. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein said at least one filter is a finite impulse response (FIR) filter.
 12. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein said integrated circuit is operable to configure said delays based on a location of said at least one tap of said multi-tap transmission line.
 13. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein said integrated circuit is operable to impedance match said at least one filter to said at least one tap of said multi-tap transmission line.
 14. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein said multi-tap transmission line is a part of said integrated circuit.
 15. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein said multi-tap transmission line is integrated on a package to which said integrated circuit is bonded.
 16. The integrated circuit of claim 10, Wherein said multi-tap transmission line comprises a microstrip.
 17. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein said multi-tap transmission line comprises a coplanar waveguide.
 18. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein said multi-tap transmission line comprises ferromagnetic material. 